NEWS

Wednesday 16 September 2026 Northern Ireland has just 154 registered dental hygienists — around half the number per head of population recorded in England — as North Antrim MP Jim Allister calls for urgent action to expand training and make greater use of hygienists within Health Service dentistry. The TUV leader has challenged Health Minister Robbie Butler after being contacted by dental professionals concerned that there is no dental hygiene training course available in Nor

Aerial view of Ballymena Park & Ride, located adjacent to Translink’s Bus & Rail Centre Friday 18 September 2026 Ballymena is to receive more than £2 million in new funding towards the major expansion of its Park and Ride facility, increasing capacity from 222 spaces to more than 600. The £2.05 million allocation has been confirmed by Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins as part of £3.25 million in Local Growth Fund Capital being directed towards transport and connectivity pro

Sitting Sinn Féin North Antrim MLA Philip McGuigan with the party’s deputy Dáil leader and finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty TDPearse Doherty TD. Friday 18 September 2026 Sinn Féin has selected sitting MLA Philip McGuigan to contest the 2027 Northern Ireland Assembly election in North Antrim, as parties begin preparing for voters to go to the polls next May. McGuigan, who currently chairs Stormont’s Health Committee, confirmed his candidacy at a party event in the Marine H

MLAs would receive a £2,016 increase in their basic annual salary after next year’s Assembly election under proposals now open for public consultation. The Independent Remuneration Board has proposed raising basic pay from £67,200 to £69,216 for the start of the 2027–32 Assembly term, followed by annual increases linked to Northern Ireland earnings growth and capped at 3%. Members of the public have until 15 October to give their views before the independent body responsible

Thursday 17 September 2026 Around 860,000 households across Northern Ireland will receive £63 off their electricity costs from 6 October, with support applied automatically to bill-paying and keypad customers. The Household Electricity Discount Scheme is not means-tested and the amount does not depend on how much electricity a household uses. No application is needed. For pre-pay and keypad customers, there is an important detail: anyone wanting the full £63 credit in one go

Northern Ireland’s trials of the facts procedure is to undergo an independent review following concerns about how the justice system serves victims when an accused person is found unfit to stand trial. Justice Minister Naomi Long and Health Minister Robbie Butler have agreed to commission the joint review, according to a statement from Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows MLA. The party said a joint letter from the ministers confirmed that an independent external reviewer

Wednesday 16 September 2026 A Northern Ireland council has “strongly disagreed” with the proposed timetable for tougher air pollution limits, while councillors have raised concerns that additional costs could ultimately fall on ratepayers. Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council’s Environment and Sustainability Committee has considered its response to a Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) consultation on plans to tighten legal limits for harmful part

Wednesday 16 September 2026 Newly released government figures reveal 456 cattle were involved in 56 recorded operations by DAERA’s Humane Slaughter Team — putting the controversial destruction of 51 cattle near Fivemiletown into stark new context. The figures show the June operation, now at the centre of an independent external review, was one of the largest deployments contained in the records released by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. They als

Wednesday 16 September 2026 Fewer than half of people in Northern Ireland are now registered with a dentist for publicly funded care after more than 389,000 patient registrations disappeared in less than three years, a Department of Health-commissioned independent review has revealed. The report warns publicly funded dentistry may be “approaching a tipping point” and concludes current levels of public sector remuneration are unlikely to remain sufficient to attract and retain

Wednesday 16 September 2026 Young men and boys across Northern Ireland are being urged to challenge misogyny in group chats, gaming platforms and social media as new figures show increases in reports of online stalking, harassment, blackmail and intimate image abuse. Between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026, police recorded 1,971 reports of online stalking and harassment — a 12% increase on the previous year — alongside 591 reports of online blackmail, up 11%, and 110 reports i

Tuesday 15 September 2026 Nearly 8,000 Baby Loss Certificates have been issued to bereaved parents and families in Northern Ireland in the first four months of a scheme designed to formally recognise babies lost before 24 weeks of pregnancy. The Baby Loss Certificate Scheme launched in June 2026, offering families a tangible acknowledgement of a loss which historically may not have been formally recorded. Certificates are available to anyone who has experienced the loss of a

Ulster Unionist Party Leader Jon Burrows is pressing Justice Minister Naomi Long for answers over the release of at large prisoner Gary Anderson (centre) Police are continuing to seek convicted murderer Gary Anderson as political pressure grows for a full explanation of how he came to be temporarily released from prison despite the Prison Service having initially decided he was unsuitable for compassionate temporary release. Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows MLA has de

Tuesday 15 September 2026 Teachers, parents and pupils across Northern Ireland are being asked to share their experiences of behaviour, disruption and safety in schools as part of a review that will shape new government policy. Education Minister Paul Givan has launched a Call for Evidence seeking views on the scale of behaviour problems, their impact on learning and staff wellbeing, and what schools need to improve standards. The exercise forms part of the Department of Educ

SDLP MLA for East Londonderry, Cara Hunter Girls will be guaranteed the choice to wear trousers at every school in Northern Ireland from the 2027/28 school year, as Education Minister Paul Givan faces fresh criticism over why the change was not made sooner. SDLP Opposition Education Spokesperson Cara Hunter MLA has joined Ulster Unionist Party leader and Education spokesperson Jon Burrows MLA in welcoming the outcome while challenging the Minister over the months of political

Almost 900 complaints were made to the Northern Health and Social Care Trust during a nine-month period, as new figures reveal a sharp rise in complaints across Northern Ireland’s health service. The Northern Trust recorded 896 complaints between April and December 2025 — 17% of the 5,222 received by all six Health and Social Care Trusts, including the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service. Across Northern Ireland, the total was up by 1,208 — or 30% — from 4,014 during the same

Fewer than one in three cancer patients in Northern Ireland began treatment within the recommended 62 days following an urgent GP referral in the first three months of 2026, newly corrected figures have revealed. The revised Department of Health data shows just 29.6% of patients started their first definitive cancer treatment within 62 days between January and March — against the official target of at least 95%. Macmillan Cancer Support described the figures as a “worrying pi

Girls across Northern Ireland will be guaranteed the choice to wear trousers as part of their school uniform under revised legally binding guidelines issued by Education Minister Paul Givan. Ulster Unionist Party leader and Education spokesperson Jon Burrows MLA has welcomed the move as a “common-sense outcome”, while claiming the Minister could have resolved the issue earlier without the Education Committee having to pursue legislation. The revised Department of Education gu

Inset: North Antrim MP Jim Allister Ballymena GP practices face a wait until at least 2029 for the rollout of Multi-Disciplinary Teams designed to ease pressure on doctors and give patients greater access to physiotherapy, mental health and social work support. North Antrim MP Jim Allister has called for the timetable to be reconsidered after being contacted by local GPs concerned that Ballymena remains without the additional primary care support. Mr Allister subsequently rai

People affected by cancer are set to receive more practical, emotional and wellbeing support closer to home as a £1.25 million funding scheme opens to charities and community organisations across Northern Ireland. Health Minister Robbie Butler and Macmillan Cancer Support have confirmed a second year of the Cancer Charities Grant Scheme, with applications opening today, Thursday 10 September. The scheme is aimed at supporting services beyond hospital treatment — from rehabili

Councils are set to receive stronger powers to tackle dangerous buildings, abandoned properties and neglected land after new Northern Ireland-wide legislation cleared its final Assembly stage. The Dilapidation Bill will allow councils, including Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, to intervene earlier and issue enforcement notices requiring property owners, occupiers or others with a relevant interest to carry out remedial work. Where a council is forced to undertake the wor